U.S. patent number 3,841,067 [Application Number 05/394,112] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-15 for electric vacuum cleaner.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Satoru Kato, Isamu Tayama.
United States Patent |
3,841,067 |
Kato , et al. |
October 15, 1974 |
ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER
Abstract
The disclosed electric cleaner includes a filter drum produced
by shaping a corrugated piece of fine filter sheet into a hollow,
general circular cylinder, and a dusting unit disposed within the
drum. The dusting unit includes one vibratile strip radially
disposed in each wave on the corrugated piece and a coiled member
rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the drum to successively
flip the vibratile strips to vibrate the filter drum. Alternatively
the dusting unit may include a beater movable along the filter axis
to resiliently impart an impulse to the filter drum to vibrate it
and a striker rotatable about the filter axis to strike the
radially innermost portion of the drum.
Inventors: |
Kato; Satoru (Ojima-machi,
JA), Tayama; Isamu (Ojima-machi, JA) |
Assignee: |
Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki
Kaisha (Tokyo, JA)
|
Family
ID: |
14341238 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/394,112 |
Filed: |
September 4, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 5, 1972 [JA] |
|
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47-102956 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
55/300; 15/327.6;
15/327.7; 15/352; 55/472; 55/498 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L
9/20 (20130101); A47L 9/127 (20130101); B01D
46/521 (20130101); B01D 46/4227 (20130101); B01D
46/2411 (20130101); B01D 46/0075 (20130101); B01D
2279/55 (20130101); B01D 2267/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47L
9/12 (20060101); A47L 9/20 (20060101); A47L
9/10 (20060101); B01D 46/04 (20060101); B01d
046/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;55/295-300,304,305,467,470,471-473,498 ;15/327D,327E,327R,352 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nozick; Bernard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack
Claims
What we claim is:
1. An electric cleaner device comprising, in combination, a main
body including a suction port and an exhaust port and having an
electrically operated blower disposed therin, filter means disposed
in said main body to filter out dust particles contained in a
stream of air sucked into the main body during the operation of
said electrically operated blower, said filter means including a
filter drum closed at one end and open at the other communicating
with the blower produced by folding a flat piece of fine filter
sheet into a plurality of continuous waves and then shaping the
corrugated piece of filter sheet into a hollow, general circular
cylinder, said filter sheet being prepared by forming a fibrous
material, and dusting means disposed within the interior of said
filter drum to vibrate the filter and remove dust particles
adhering to the filtration surface of said filter drum.
2. An electric cleaner device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
dusting means includes a plurality of rectangular vibratile strips
radially disposed within said filter drum one for each wave so that
the vibratile strip has a radially outermost edge abutting against
the associated wave valley as viewed internally of the filter drum
and a radially innermost edge radially projecting beyond the
associated wave crest as viewed internally of the filter drum, and
a dusting resilient member within said filter drum rotatable about
the longitudinal axis of the filter drum, said dusting member being
capable of successively flipping said radially innermost edges of
said vibratile strips during the rotational movement thereof.
3. An electric cleaner device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
dusting means includes a spring loaded beater within said filter
drum movable along the longitudinal axis of the filter drum to
resiliently impart an impulse to said filter drum and a striker
rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the filter drum to
successively strike the radially innermost portions of said filter
drum.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electric cleaner device comprising a
main body including an electrically operated blower and a filter
for removing dust particles contained in a stream of air sucked
into the main body through the rotational movement of the blower.
MOre particularly the invention relates to improvements in such a
filter and dusting means suitable for use with the improved
filter.
Conventional filters for use with electric cleaner devices have
been generally formed of textile or unwoven or fabric or paper
permeable to air or the like. If it is desired to increase the
filtration area of the filter to increase the filtration efficiency
thereof, then only an increase in the dimension of the filter
itself inevitably leads to an increase in dimension of the main
body of the electric cleaner itself because the electric cleaner
has a limitation as to the internal space. Thus this measure has
not been so desirable. Alternatively at has been already proposed
to corrugate filter paper or fabric thereby to increase the
filtration area without increasing the space occupied by the
filter. In the latter event, it has been difficult to retain the
corrugation as formed because materials used to construct the
filter are relative soft and lack firmness. This has resulted in
the necessity of separately using means for retaining the
corrugation of filters. The means for retaining the corrugation of
filters. The means for retaining the corrugation has required an
additional space occupied thereby with the result that the main
body of the electric cleaner becomes inevitably large-sized. In
addition, filters of the type as above described generally include
dusting means for removing dust particles adhering thereto which
also require a further space occupied thereby.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
new and improved electric cleaner device increased in filtration
area while decreasing in space occupied by a filter involved and
including a dusting means for removing dust particles adhering to
the filtration surface of the filter, disposed so as not to require
an additional space occupied thereby whereby the device is compact
in construction.
The present invention accomplishes this object by the provision of
an electric cleaner device comprising, in combination, a main body
including a suction port and an exhaust port and having an
electrically operated blower disposed therein, filter means
disposed in the main body to filter out dust particles contained in
a stream of air sucked into the main body through the suction
portion during the operation of electrically operated blower, the
filter means including a filter drum produced by folding a flat
piece of fine filter sheet into which a fibrous material is formed,
into a plurality of continuous waves and then shaping the
corrugated piece of filter sheet into a hollow, general circular
cylinder, and dusting means disposed in the interior of the filter
drum to remove dust particles adhering to the filtration surface
thereof.
The dusting means may preferably include a plurality of rectangular
vibratile strips radially disposed within the filter drum one for
each wave so that the vibratile strip has the radially outermost
edge abutting against the associated wave valley as viewed
internally of the filter drum and the radially innermost edge
radially projecting beyond the associated wave crest as viewed
internally of the filter element, and a dusting resilient member
within the filter drum rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the
filter drum, the dusting member being capable of flipping the
radially innermost edge of each vibratile strip during the
rotational movement thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more apparent from the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in longitudinal section
of an electric cleaner device constructed in accordance with the
principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmental cross sectional view taken along the line
11--11 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating a modification
of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dusting means of
FIG. 3 illustrated at its position ready for operation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, it is seen
that an arrangement disclosed herein comprises a housing general
designated by the reference numeral 10 and including a front end
open, a rear end provided with an exhaust port 12, a supporting
frame member 14 firmly fitted into the front open end, and an
electrically operated blower 16 fixedly disposed between the
supporting frame member 14 and the rear end through packings 18,
18a for example rubber vibration insulators. The housing 10 is
detachably engaged by a dust collector casing generally designated
by the reference numeral 20 by having a latch 22 connected to a
porter handle 24 and disposed on the uppermost portion of the front
housing end and a hook 24 disposed on the lowermost portion of the
front housing end. The housing 10 forms and enclosure for a main
body A of an electric cleaner device with the dust collector casing
20.
The dust collector casing 20 comprises front end provided with a
suction port 26 including a check valve 28, and a rear end open.
The suction port 26 is adapted to be connected to a suction hose
(not shown) and the check valve 28 serves to prevent dust particles
accumulated in the dust collector casing 20 from emerging from the
suction port 26 in the exterior of the chasing 20 upon disengaging
the suction hose from the suction port 26. The dust collector
casing 20 further has filter unit B detachably disposed therein.
The filter unit B includes a pre-filter 30 of relative coarse mesh
located at its position near to the suction port 26 and a fine
filter drum 32 located in the rear of the pre-filter 30 or at its
position near to the suction side of the electrically operated
blower 16. The pre-filter 30 serves to filter out coarse dust
particles and the fine filter drum 32 serves to filter out fine
dust particles. To prepare the filter drum 32, a flat piece of
filter sheet produced by forming any suitable fibrous material, for
example, filter paper is first folded into a plurality of
continuous waves and then shaped into a hollow, general circularly
cylinder as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the filter drum 32 includes a
plurality of tapered radial protrusions disposed at substantially
equal angular internals and a central space in the form of a
circular cylinder as defined by the radially innermost ends of the
protrusions. Then the filter drum 32 is hermetically secured on one
end face to a supporting plate 34 of any suitable plastic
hermetically fitted into the rear open end of the casing 20 through
an annular packing 36 and on the other end face to an end plate of
any suitable plastic. The supporting plate 34 includes a plurality
of vent openings 40. In order to retain the desired configuration
of the filter drum 32. the supporting plate 34 includes preferably
a protruberence (not shown) disposed on that surface contacting the
filter drum so as to correspond in position to and be complementary
in outer profile to the filter drum 34. When in its assembled
position, the end plate 38 also serves to push against an annular
protrusion 42 on the pre-filter 30 to maintain the latter in place
within the dust collector casing 20.
Thus it will be appreciated that the blower 16 is operated to
produce an air stream from the suction port 26 passing through the
pre-filter 30, and then flowing from the outer to the inner surface
of the fine filter drum 32 within the main body A. Dust particles
are sucked into the main body A by means of this air stream until
coarse dust particles are caught by the prefilter 30 while those
fine dust particles passed through the pre-filter 30 are caught by
the filter drum 32.
As shown in FIG. 2, the filter drum 32 in the form of a hollow,
general circularly cylinder has one rectangular vibratile strip 44
radially disposed in each wave thereof so that the strip 44 abuts
at the radially outermost edge against the associated wave valley
as viewed internally of the filter drum and has the radially
innermost edge radially projecting slightly beyond the associated
wave crest as viewed internally of the filter. In order to remove
fine dust particles adhering to the outer surface of the filter
drum 32, a rotatable shaft 46 is disposed on the longitudinal axis
of the filter drum 32 by having one end supported to a journal 48
on the end plate 38 and the other end portion reduced in diameter
and rotatably extending through the supporting plate 34. Also the
rotatable shaft 46 is provided at the reduced end projecting beyond
the supporting plate 34 with a handle 50 and adjacent the middle
portion with a radial protrusion 52. A resilient element 54 in the
form of a helical coil is attached at one end to the radial
protrusion 52 and dimensioned so that the other end thereof can
abuts against the radially innermost end portion of each vibratile
strip 44.
The main body A includes wheels 52 and 54 secured to the lowermost
portions of the housing and dust collector casing 10 and 20
respectively in order to facilitate the movement of the main body
A.
The arrangement as above described is operated as follows: With a
suction hose (not shown) connected to the suction port 26, the
electrically operated blower 16 is operated to suck the air into
the interior of the main body A through the suction port 26. Dust
particles contained in an air stream thus formed passes to the
pre-filter screen 30 which, in turn, filters out coarse dust
particles and permits fine dust particles to pass therethrough. The
fine dust particles passed through the pre-filter screen 30 along
with the air stream flows to the filter unit B. The filter drum 32
permits the air stream to pass therethrough and prevent the fine
dust particles from passing therethrough. At least some of the fine
particles will adhere to the outer filtration surface of the filter
32. The air stream flowing into the filter drum 32 passes through
the vent openings 40 on the supporting plate 34 and thence to the
interior of the housing 10 until it is exhausted to the atmosphere
through the exhaust port 12.
When a substantial amount of dust has been accumulated in the dust
collector casing 20, the latch 22 can be released to disengage the
dust collector casing 20 from the housing 10. At that time the
handle 50 is accessible. Then the handle 50 is manually operated to
rotate the shaft 46 and therefore the coiled resilient member 54.
During the rotational movement of the resilient member 54, for
example, in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2, the free
end thereof successively passes over the radially innermost ends of
the vibratile strips 42. Each time the resilient member 54 passes
over one vibratile strip 54, the latter vibrates due to its own
resilience, and simultaneously strikes the adjacent surface of the
associated wave portion to vibrate it until the filter drum 32 as a
whole vibrates. The vibration of the filter drum causes the fine
dust particles adhering to the outer surface thereof to be removed.
Thereafter the filter supporting plate 34 is manually removed from
the dust collector casing 20 resulting in the simultaneous removal
of the filter drum 32 from the dust collector casing 20. Then the
pre-filter screen 32 can be similarly removed from the casing to
put the rear end portion of the casing 20 in its open state. Dust
particles accumulated in the casing 20 can be now dumped in a
suitable place.
In FIG. 3, wherein like reference numerals designate the components
identical or similar to those shown in FIG. 1, there is shown a
modification of the present invention. Unlike the arrangement of
FIG. 1, wherein the filter unit B is disposed on the left of the
blower 16 within the main body, the arrangement illustrated
comprises a filter unit is disposed above an electrically operated
blower within the main body. MOre specifically a housing 10
includes an open top, an exhaust port 12 disposed on the lower
portion of the side wall thereof. The open top of the housing 10 is
closed with a cover member 10a in the form of an inverted cup
provided with a central suction port 26. The cover member 10a
detachably engages the housing 10 by means of a latch 22 to form an
enclosure for a main body A. A partition 60 includes a central vent
opening 62 and traverses the interior of the housing 10 at a level
higher than that of the exhaust port 12 to divide it into an upper
and a lower portion.
On the upper portion of the housing 10 an electrically operated
blower 16 is disposed between the bottom of the housing 10 and the
partition 60 through packings 18 and 18a while on the upper portion
thereof a filter unit B is suspended to an annular flange defining
the open top of the housing 10 as will be described hereinafter
with an annular packing 64 interposed the same and the partition
60. The packing 64 acts to prevent an air stream from the leaking
through a spacing between the bottom of the filter unit and the
partition 60.
The filter unit B includes the filter drum 32 as shown in FIGS. 1
and 2 hermetically fixed at one end to an end plate 38a similar to
the end plate 38 as shown in FIG. 1 except for the omission of the
journal 48 and at the other end to a supporting plate 34. The
supporting plate 34 of any suitable synthetic resin includes a
lateral wall 66 in the form of an annulus surrounding in spaced
relationship the filter drum 32 and a bottom wall 68 with a central
portion 70 bulged into the central cylindrical space in the filter
drum 32. The bulged portion 70 includes a central hole 72 and a
plurality of vent holes 74 disposed around the central hole 72. The
lateral wall 66 is provided at the free edge with an outwardly
directed flange 76 with projections rested on the annular flange
disposed at the top of the housing 10. An annular space 78 is
formed between the lateral support wall 66 and the filter drum 32
to accumulate dust particles therein.
With the cover member 10a engaged by the housing 10, the cover
member 10a downwardly pushes the projections on the flange 76 and
therefore the supporting plate 60 to maintain both the filter unit
B and the blower 16 in place within the housing 10. With the cover
member 10a removed from the housing 10, the filter unit B can be
manually removed from the housing 10.
In FIG. 4, a dusting unit is shown as being disposed in the central
cylindrical space in the filter drum 32 and generally designated by
the reference numeral 80. The dusting unit 80 comprises a main
dusting rod 82 in the form of a prism extending through the central
hole 72 on the supporting plate 34 for rotational and sliding
movements and having a beater 84 and a knob 86 attached to the
upper and lower ends thereof respectively. An auxiliary dusting rod
88 is located upon the bulged portion 70 of the supporting plate
34a and includes a central hole 90 complementary in shape to the
main rod 82 to permit the latter to slide therealong but to prevent
it from rotating with respect to the same and a pair of strikers 92
attached to both ends thereof at such positions that, when the
auxiliary rod 88 is rotating simultaneously with the main rod 82,
the both strikers 92 successively collide with the radially
innermost portions of the waves on the filter drum 32. A
compression spring 94 is disposed around the main rod 82 between
the beater 94 and the auxiliary rod 88 to normally contact the
beater 84 with the end plate 38a.
In operation the electrically operated blower is operated to suck
the air and dust particles into the main body A through the suction
port 26. The dust particles are blocked by the filter drum 32 while
a stream of air sucked passes through the filter drum 32. Then the
air stream is passed through holes 74 and 62 and then exhausted
from the main body through the exhaust port 12.
After a substantial amount of dust has been accumulated in the
annular space 78 and/or after the filter drum 32 has been clogged
with dust particles, the cover member 10a is removed from the
housing 10 with the latch 22 released. Then dust particles
accumulated in the space 78 are dumped after which the filter unit
B can be removed from the housing provided that the filter drum has
been clogged with dust particles. The filter unit B thus removed is
put upside down on a suitable piece of paper as shown in FIG. 4.
Then the knob 86 is manually raised against the action of the
compression spring 94 followed by the release of the knob 86. This
causes the beater 84 to strongly strike on the end plate 38a
thereby to vibrate it and hence the filter drum 32 resulting in the
removal of dust particles from the filter drum. The process as
above described is repeated until the filter drum 32 is
substantially free from dust. Also the knob 80 can be manually
rotated to rotate the main rod 27 and therefore the auxiliary rod
88. This causes the strikers 92 to successively flip the radially
innermost portions of the waves on the filter drum 32 to vibrate
the latter thereby to remove those dust particles adhering to the
filtration surface thereof.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the present
invention provides an electric cleaner device increased in a
filtration area of a filter within a range as determined by a given
internal volume of main cleaner body. Further the present device
becomes compact in construction because the dusting unit is
disposed within the filter drum.
While the present invention has been illustrated and described in
conjunction with a few preferred embodiments thereof it is to be
understood that numerous changes and modifications may be resorted
to without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *